Chapter 49: The Position of Marshal

  During the Tang Dynasty, when a large army went on an expedition, especially during Li Longji's time, they would entrust a prince as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Cavalry, serving as the highest commander of all the armies.

  But this is mostly nominal, and in general, the imperial prince does not lead the army to go on an expedition. The court will appoint a good general as deputy commander-in-chief at the same time when appointing the imperial prince as commander-in-chief, directing the troops, and the deputy commander-in-chief actually commands the battle, just like Gao Xianzhi and Ge Shuhan before.

  When Gao Xianzhi went on an expedition, it was with Rong Wang Li Wan as the commander-in-chief and Gao Xianzhi as the deputy commander-in-chief. After Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were killed, the court made Ge Shuhan the deputy commander-in-chief, while the position of commander-in-chief was taken by Crown Prince Li Hen. However, Li Hen did not go to take up his post, and all matters were left in the hands of Ge Shuhan.

  However, in the military, generals would omit the "deputy" when addressing him and directly refer to him as Marshal.

  This vice marshal is actually a real marshal, with great power, can command any troops on the same battlefield, as long as the other party does not hold the position of marshal or vice marshal. After Geshu Han went to Tongguan, he took control of all the more than 200,000 troops near Tongguan, and was in high spirits for a time! Even Yang Guozhong was very wary, so he formed the three thousand elite troops of Li Fude and Liu Guangting, and let his trusted general Du Qianyuan lead more than ten thousand troops to garrison at Ba Shang, with the purpose of preventing Geshu Han's possible threat. However, Du Qianyuan's more than ten thousand troops were eventually swallowed up by Geshu Han.

  If Yang Guozhong could be appointed by the imperial court as the deputy commander-in-chief of the army, with the identity of the commander-in-chief to command the defense war at Tongguan, then from now on he would no longer need to worry about the threat of Wu Zong's generals to the Yang family. After arriving in Tongguan, Yang Guozhong performed extremely well, temporarily intimidating all the generals and basically achieving unified command and dispatching of the Tongguan army. Yang Guozhong was also full of confidence in his son's future performance.

  However, after Chen Xuanli went to Tongguan, the situation may change immediately. Yang Gui being marginalized is not certain, after all, Chen Xuanli still has quite a reputation. In the follow-up, many of the commanders among these tens of thousands of people are Chen Xuanli's confidants.

  Unless Yang Kai receives the title of Marshal from the imperial court, he may not necessarily command Chen Xuanli.

  Yang Guozhong was well aware of this, so he entered the palace today with the intention of asking for the position of deputy commander-in-chief for Yang Hui.

  But he also knew that he had been a bit too outspoken, after all Yang Jie was still young. So before reporting to the Emperor, he first made arrangements with Yang Guifei and her sister, preparing for the situation where his own request would not be allowed, letting the Yang sisters speak favorably of him in front of Emperor Xuanzong, so that the Emperor would agree to his request.

  But what made Yang Guozhong and Yang Yuhuan feel at ease was that Li Longji immediately agreed, "Hmmm! This proposal is not bad. The vice marshal position of Geshu Han should be removed and reappointed to someone else to supervise the army! Guozhong, I grant your request, appointing Yang Hui as the deputy marshal of the army, governing the troops at Tongguan!"

  After Li Longji made the decision, he thought for a moment and said: "Then let Chen Xuanli be the Pingkang Army Commander to assist Fourth Brother in handling military affairs. All matters will be decided by Yang Hui! And appoint Fourth Brother as the Right Dragon Martial Guard General! Come on, immediately convey my decree to Tongguan!"

  "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yang Guozhong let out a sigh of relief and hastily made a bow to express his gratitude.

  He did not expect the emperor to agree so easily to his request, originally he still wanted to persuade him with bitter words, and also prepared to let Yang Yuhuan's sister come to persuade the emperor, letting the emperor agree to his request, granting Yang Hui the position of deputy commander-in-chief of the army, governing the troops at Tongguan!

  The emperor agreed so easily and didn't need Yang Yuhuan's sisters' help anymore.

  Moreover, after the emperor made a decision, he immediately sent someone to convey his decree. All of Yang Guozhong's worries were dispelled, and he was overjoyed.

  The position of the military envoy is quite different from that of the marshal, and the court appointed Yang Gui as the deputy commander-in-chief of the leading army, adding a position as the right dragon warrior general. If Geshu Han and Chen Xuanli did not want to rebel, they could only obey Yang Gui's command.

  Upon seeing Yang Guozhong's wish fulfilled, Yang Yuhuan also breathed a sigh of relief. As she continued to massage Li Longji's back, she softly said: "Your Majesty, I think your decision is absolutely correct! Your Majesty has an eye for talent, and in this critical situation, you dared to appoint the Fourth Prince as the military commander of Tongguan, leading the army to provide emergency relief, which achieved the expected results. For now, Tongguan is temporarily at ease! Now that you have appointed him as the Grand Marshal of Tongguan, commanding all the generals, he will surely repay your trust and favor with continuous victories! These past few days, Your Majesty has been worried about the military situation on the front lines, hardly sleeping a wink. It's made me worry too, and many officials are anxious. Now that everything is settled, please take good care of yourself and get some rest!"

  Showing a very painful and reluctant look.

  Yang Yuhuan, although no longer young, had been startled by the recent war situation and other events, and had not slept well for several nights. She also had to take care of Li Longji, who was having trouble sleeping, and she looked a bit worn out. However, her beauty still shone through. With the heat, she wore little clothing, and her full figure was hard to conceal. Her pale skin and the waves of her chest were mostly exposed, drawing attention from everyone. Yang Guozhong, whose mind had been preoccupied with Tong Pass and Yang Huan, couldn't help but steal glances at her, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

  However, Li Longji's physical functions had almost declined, and with the continuous lack of rest in recent days, his physical condition became even worse. He was no longer interested in the charming figure in front of him, and he was indifferent to all the scenery. He just patted Yang Yuhuan's hand, which was massaging his back, and smiled slightly: "Yuhuan, I hope everything goes smoothly as you said, so that I won't have to worry about the military affairs at Tongguan anymore! These days I've been worried sick, and I couldn't sleep well. I really hope that all the news from Tongguan is good, and there won't be any more urgent requests for help!"

  "Your Majesty, please take a good rest. I will personally take care of the military affairs in Tongguan and understand the news from there at the first time to solve it. Your Majesty can rest assured that with me here, you don't have to worry or overthink. Take care of your body! If Your Majesty's dragon body is not well, it would be a great disaster for the Tang Dynasty." Yang Guozhong said with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, I also believe that Fourth Brother will bring us good news! In a few days, there will definitely be news of heavily defeating the rebels and driving them out of Tongguan. As long as Your Majesty grants Fourth Brother full power to handle the military affairs in Tongguan, I believe he will not disappoint your holy expectations!"

  Such a request from Yang Guozhong might sound excessive to others, but Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan didn't find it surprising at all, because Yang Guozhong had been doing this for years, and Li Longji also gave him such trust.

  Yang Guozhong's words were understood by Li Longji as a kind of consideration and care for him.